Material, Technik und Methoden der Erhaltung - oder: Haben wir unsere instinktive Sensibilität verloren?

Abstract

"The typical biography of a ship begins with the planning and ends after years of operation without any publicity, unless there is a drama to tell. Few ships are kept as part of our maritime heritage, still sailing or sailing once again. What is more, the present purpose of so-called museum ships is different from the one established at the time of their construction many - sometimes hundreds of - years ago. Today the focus is mainly on the vessel itself, the extant object of maritime history which can be seen and touched. The proper maintenance of the precious object is the foremost task. It seems reasonable to equip such a ship with modern aids and go to sea with her thus. The obvious result, however, is the loss of the fundamental skills and knowledge of seamanship which evolved in the course of centuries among the community of seamen all over the world. This paper argues in favor of preserving not only the vessels but also historical seamanship as an equally valuable aspect of our maritime heritage." (author's abstract)